Our own Charlie Sorrel gave Apple’s EarPods a glowing review, and now the fine folks at iFixit have dug deep into the internals of Apple’s latest earbuds to see what they’re made of. It took Apple three years of R&D to design the EarPods, so we’re all hoping they mark a huge improvement over their predecessor.

According to iFixit’s teardown, Apple uses a single-driver setup to power the EarPods, although the Cupertino company claims that the EarPods will perform at the level of higher quality, multi-driver earphones. With a completely redesigned shape that’s been molded to fit the average human ear, iFixit is saying that the EarPods boast “significant improvements in durability.”

“The main speaker port faces forward, rather than directly into your ear canal.”

“The control board in the old earphones isn’t nearly as sealed or secured as the new EarPods, leading to a common complaint among gym-goers finding that their sweet earphones don’t work so well when doused in sweat.”

“Like most speakers, the speakers in the EarPods consist of a diaphragm/cone, a voice coil, a permanent magnet, and a cabinet.”

“Apple’s switch to paper-based speaker cones may be the source of their advertised improved low and mid-range response.”

“The new remote is better sealed against water damage, and features strain relief wrapping to increase the life of the cable.’

‘Paper speaker cones are more resistant to tearing than plastic, decreasing the likelihood of blowing out your drivers.”

Like all current Apple products, the EarPods are basically impossible to take apart and put back together. But the flip-side is that, at $30 a pop, throwing out a broken pair and buying a replacement shouldn’t break your bank.

Apple has a video detailing all the engineering work that went into creating the EarPods. You can pick a pair up at your local Apple Store now or order online. Apple ships a pair of EarPods with the iPhone 5, 5th gen iPod touch, and 7th gen iPod nano.

About the author

Alex Heath is a senior writer at Cult of Mac and co-host of the CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like "ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation." If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Twitter always works too.

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